Karen
by Skarrow
Summary: Claire is an ex-cop from the city, and moves to Mineral Town for a fresh start, determined to leave her old life behind. But all is not as peaceful as it seems. Who is Karen? What is her connection to Claire's brother's disappearance? DoctorxClairexRick


A/N: I don't own Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town and I never will. All I own is the plot. I also don't own the quote about attraction. It was taken from the book "To Love and be Loved" by Sam Keen.

I honestly don't know what to make of this story. I wrote this fanfic a few years back, but I never had the guts to post it... until now. I love the DoctorxClaire/TrentxClaire pairing, and I never saw a crime-related, horror-related story about them. Plus, I feel kinda sorry about Rick - the RickxClaire pairing doesn't look too popular, and in lots of fanfics Doctor's romantic rival is usually Gray or Cliff, and sometimes Kai. So "Karen" was born with a DoctorxClairexRick love triangle in mind.

Not to mention how cliched Doctor and Claire's first meetings are in stories - usually, they meet when Claire faints from exhaustion and gets taken to the clinic. Either that, or Mayor Thomas is taking Claire on a tour around town and they get introduced. Or Claire wanders into the clinic herself. Why do they always meet at the clinic? I know, I know, Doctor's in the clinic ALL DAY in the game, I know. And I know for a fact that he hardly ever gets out. With this in mind, I tried to plan a different scenario for their first meeting.

* * *

><p>Everyday, all over the world, hearts are being broken, and the healing processes vary:<p>

Some hearts are easily remedied.

Some hearts need months - even years - just to get fixed.

The heart will have scars left over, to be sure, but it will always heal. There wasn't ever a heart that never got the proper treatment… aside from three exceptions:

One, the heart is suffering from a fatal disease. It happens, right?

Two, the heart's owner is dead. Obviously, if the person is dead, the heart can't be magically pumped back to life.

Three, the heart "refuses" to heal.

* * *

><p><strong>ACT I<strong>

A whole year had passed since the Starry Night incident, and there was still no sign of her missing brother. A whole year had passed since she handed in her police badge, and although the case had been ruled a suicide by the brass, Claire couldn't find it in herself to accept that.

They never found the body – her brother's body. So that meant he had to be out there somewhere, right?

Back at the office, the new recruits, the fresh faces who didn't know her scorned her. The senior officers who knew her tried, but in the end failed to keep faith in her. Claire had done them all a favor by resigning. Instead, she continued looking for her brother on her own.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months.

Her few friends came around her apartment to convince her to stop her fruitless search.

"_Claire, isn't this a little too much? It's been a whole year already. There isn't anything you can do. You have to pull yourself together and get on with your life! We know your brother – we were friends with him, too – and we know he wouldn't want his sister to suffer like this!"_

Claire was a smart woman. There was a side of her that knew and understood completely what they were telling her, and another side that denied it.

But her friends were right – it was too much. The entire police department had been turned upside down just to find him, and they couldn't; so the chances Claire had for finding him by herself were very slim.

She had to move on with her life. She needed new direction; something new to live for.

Since she left the force, Claire had become somewhat of a drifter – never staying in one place for too long and working odd jobs. She had even taking up a bit of writing – she didn't count on herself to succeed as a writer or anything, but writing helped ease her mind.

It was pure coincidence that Claire noticed the ad for the farm in the newspaper one day. She had just returned to her dingy apartment from her latest part-time job as a pharmacy clerk, because she had forgotten her wallet and she needed it if she wanted to buy food.

It was still pretty early for dinner: only 4pm. The sun was just beginning to set in the distance. So she sat down to read the newspaper she got from the paperboy earlier that day.

Claire hated reading about politics and all the crap that involved her old life in some way – she was content to skim it and learn the general facts before skipping over the sports page and reading the classified ads instead.

That's when she saw it.

**Would you like to enjoy a peaceful and refreshing farm life?**

**For more information, contact ### - ####**

Farm…

Her brother would've loved to purchase this farm and make it his own. He loved gardening, animals, and the great outdoors in general. If he were still here, he would be badgering her to pool some money with him to buy it. And Claire would've eventually agreed, because she believed he would've made a wonderful farmer.

As she read the little details in the margins, she began to imagine his face smiling cheekily at her as he proclaimed, "This is it, Claire! Something exciting!"

The blond woman laughed to herself at this. How could anyone other than her brother consider farming as "exciting"? It was ridiculous.

One second Claire was still giggling quietly to herself, lost in her memories. In the next second, she was dialing the number printed on the newspaper ad, her mind completely made up. She imagined her conversation with him, if he were here:

_Happy now, Jack? I'm buying the farm… for you, _she would say.

He'd smile and hug her tightly. _Thanks, sis._

Claire held the phone to her ear. After four rings, someone on the other end picked up. "This is MT Realtor, main office," said a man's voice. "Can I help you?"

"Good evening," Claire said into the receiver. "I'm calling about the farm…."

* * *

><p>"Peaceful and refreshing farm life my ass," Claire muttered a few days later as she stood at the edge of the apparently barren fields.<p>

The "farm" was falling apart. The big, one-story house that stood on her right looked very uninviting. The stone porch was intact, but the screen door was swinging back and forth in the weak, late spring wind, and the window shutters were completely torn off – from a storm, perhaps? Not to mention the house's paint job needed a serious touch-up, and all the windows had a huge, gaping hole in them.

Claire knelt down on one knee and scooped some of the soil in her hand, shifting it between her fingers. The soil wasn't actually as dead as she originally had thought - she was no CSI, but any police officer (or former police officer) worth her salt could plainly see that there was some strange, flaky, gray substance mixed in with the dirt. When she prodded at it with her thumb, it seemed to disintegrate and vanish with the breeze. "Ash…" she mumbled to herself, standing up. Ash actually helped fertilize the soil, so for a farmer, it was a good thing.

But to Claire, it was suspicious. If there was ash here, it meant a fire happened…

An accident, perhaps? Yes, it had to be. She had had enough of mysteries and drama since her days as a detective.

Besides, it was none of her business.

She turned and approached the house for a closer inspection. It was pretty big – peeking in from one of the windows, she was able to discern that it was a one-room type of house, and in pretty good condition, too, if you didn't count the heaps of dust and cobwebs covering everything and pieces of half-burned trash scattered about. There was an ancient looking TV inside, a big wooden dinner table with matching wooden chairs, a carpet, a shelf and a fridge, and…

"Excuse me, are you a tourist?" Asked a voice curiously behind her.

Claire stepped away from the window and turned around. The owner of the voice was a ridiculously short, plump fellow wearing loud red slacks, and a matching colored coat. The top hat on his head was red, too. Claire nearly laughed right out loud at his clown-like nose, but she managed to look at him seriously as she replied, "No, sir, I bought this farm a few days ago, and today I'm officially moving in."

The short man's eyebrows rose. "Let me guess… MT Realtor told you that you could live a refreshing life on the farm."

"Actually, it was 'peaceful and refreshing', if I were to quote them."

"So… you're the new farmer?"

Claire stared at him, puzzled. What exactly was he getting at? "Um, yes. I am the new farmer."

"Bwahahaha!" He guffawed. "You've been tricked!"

"Excuse me?"

"It used to be a gorgeous farm," he explained while wiping tears from his eyes. "But not anymore since the previous owner passed away. As you can see, no one's been taking care of it." Seeming to have calmed down a bit, he gestured at the fields. "Not many people want to work on the farm now. So, they decided to make the advertisement sound more attractive. Every now and then, people who have seen the ad come here. Just like yourself."

Suddenly, he got all giggly again as he continued, "But as soon as they see the farm, they get disappointed and leave. Just like that. It's been a while since the last one came, though… still, you fell for that cheesy advertisement! Bwahahaha!"

* * *

><p>One minute of getting punched and groveling later, Mayor Thomas (this shrimp's the mayor? Seriously? Claire wondered) adjusted his hat. "So let me get this straight: you quit your old job and sold your apartment? Is that right?" Claire just nodded.<p>

After readjusting his clothes, he gave the farm a good once-over before turning back to Claire. "You know, why don't you just try and run the farm? As you can see, the house is big, and is actually quite livable and nice after a bit of cleaning. If you work hard, I think you will be happy here." He straightened and looked her square in the eyes. "As the mayor of this town, I will help you as much as I can," he vowed. "So, what do you say?"

In her mind, Claire heard her brother's voice yet again.

_C'mon, sis, it'll be fun! You'll see! We'll make this the best farm in the world!_

She barely recognized her own voice saying, "Let's do it."

Apparently, the Mayor thought the blond was still talking to him. "Feel free to ask for help!" He told her. "I can't help you with the actual farm work… but if there's anything I can do, I'll do it."

He held out his hand. "Well, then, let's make it official! Welcome to Mineral Town!"

Claire slowly, hesitantly reached out and shook his hand firmly, completely unaware of what she was getting into.

* * *

><p>After spending the entire morning cleaning out the dust and debris inside the house and settling in with her few belongings, Claire felt that a tour of Mineral Town was in order. Summer was just around the corner, and she felt that she was practically roasting alive under the sun. A walk around town would help her cool off, get her bearings on the natural environment, and while she was at it, she planned to stop by the town's only Inn. Before leaving her to her own devices, the Mayor had recommended the Inn's delicious food to her.<p>

Claire changed into a loose white T-shirt and jeans and set off from the farm. At the first fork in the road, she turned right, mentally noting the location of "Saibara's Blacksmith", "Poultry Farm" and "Yodel Ranch". Starting tomorrow, she would be visiting these places often to satisfy the needs of the crippled farm.

Suddenly, a cute little girl with dark hair walked out of the entrance of the Ranch and proceeded to walk straight ahead, seemingly unaware of Claire's presence. It looked as if she was in a hurry, but Claire felt no remorse calling out to her to stop her.

"Hi! I haven't seen you around here before!" Said the girl. "Are you new in town?"

For a kid, she had really nice manners, Claire noted. Almost adult-like. If all the kids around here acted like her, Claire felt she would enjoy her stay immensely. She disliked hyperactive kids. "Yes, I'm new here. Call me Claire."

"I'm May, and I live with my grandpa over there!" She pointed at a deep brown house. "I'm going to Church to play with Mr. Carter. Want to come with me?"

Claire drew back slightly in surprise at her bold request. Weren't kids these days taught not to play with – much less talk – to strangers? Given, Claire wasn't a bad person, but from her former life, she'd seen countless slimebags get hauled off into the pen – slimebags who loved kidnapping innocent, naïve little kids for heinous reasons she didn't want to think about.

So she knelt before the girl and said in a soft voice, "I'd love to, but did anyone tell you it isn't a good idea to talk to strangers? What if something happened to you?"

May contemplated this, tapping her chin. "Yes, my grandpa told me not to talk to strangers," she said eventually. "He also told me not to talk to bad people." She looked into Claire's eyes and continued, "You're not a stranger. You're name is Claire, and you just moved here. And you're worried about me, so that means you're not a bad person!" she finished triumphantly.

Claire blinked, then smiled warmly at her, finding herself unable to think of a counter argument. This little girl, May, was so earnest that she had rendered the ex-cop speechless. _It's none of my business what this girl does, anyways, _she reasoned with herself, her smile slipping slightly. She was no longer a cop. She didn't need to play the hero, it was the opposite – she needed to be saved.

But in the end, Claire followed the girl through town, making sure to listen carefully to May as she pointed out the various buildings they passed by and explained what they were, and who lived in what house. Claire couldn't help but smile again when the younger girl latched on to her hand tightly as they walked along the red brick roads.

Soon they reached the church. A man wearing dark robes was talking earnestly to a little boy right outside, but they looked up when they heard Claire and May approach.

"May, where have you been!" Demanded the little boy. His high-pitched voice caused the blond farmer to wince slightly. So much for enjoying her stay. "If you were gone for a minute longer, I would've eaten your snacks!" "Stu, you're such a big meanie!" May shot back, instantly releasing Claire's hand to tackle him. The boy, Stu, tried to dodge, but the little girl was nimbler than Claire originally thought. "Meanie! Meanie!" May yelled over and over as both children fell to the ground in some sort of wrestling game.

The robed man smiled and approached the dazed blond woman. "You must be the new farmer. The mayor told me about you. My name is Carter, and I run the church," he introduced, holding out his hand.

She smiled politely. "My name's Claire."

They shook hands.

"I am a pastor, but I haven't been doing my job as a pastor much lately," he confided.

"Why?"

Carter simply smiled again, and Claire found it a little vexing that his eyes were always closed – it made it harder for her to read him. He didn't reply to her question. "However, I will never refuse anyone who seeks compassion. Feel welcome to come to confessional if you need to," he told her instead.

Claire looked up at the church's double doors, her smile turning into a distracted one.

The confessional… actually didn't sound like such a bad idea. But it was too soon – she had only moved into town today, and she wasn't quite ready to spill out her guts to anyone, even to a priest. Still, confessing to someone who wouldn't judge her or criticize her sounded surprisingly tempting. Plus, it was a church – it was a place of peace. Even if she didn't want to spill, she could come here to reflect.

Claire's smile grew back. "Thank you, Father. You can count on seeing me soon."

She left the clergyman with the kids and continued her little tour. Down the road, a two-story building came into view. A huge sign on the front proclaimed in bold letters, "Clinic". She didn't need anything health-wise at the moment, so Claire continued on her way, memorizing the building's location. Her hearing, sharpened during her days as a detective, picked up some loud, muffled, worried voices coming from within the clinic, though.

_None of my business, none of my business…_ she told herself again and again, squashing the urge to eavesdrop.

Next door was a fairly larger building with a sign that said "Supermarket". Without thinking, she pushed the door open, causing little bells to jingle, and stepped inside.

"Hello?" She called out as the door closed softly behind her. Nobody seemed to be around, and nobody was manning the cash register, either. Was she intruding? The sign outside did say "we are open!"

… The last thing Claire needed was to be accused of robbery on her first day in Mineral Town.

Claire debated with herself, whether if she should get the hell out of there before the charges were hurled at her, or to stay put and wait for someone to assist. Against her better judgment, she decided to stay – and take a look around.

There were various things for sale, despite the shop's deceptively small interior: the center table had piles of different colored cloth bags, arranged in a circle. The shelves on her left had the usual everyday foodstuffs like bread, oil, and flour, although one entire row was completely empty. The shelves on the right were smaller, and fairly large wicker baskets and rucksacks were on display. At the back of the little "supermarket", on a little table next to a door was some pretty patterned paper and ribbons.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't hear you come in! Welcome!" A thin man wearing a stiff white long-sleeved shirt and black dress pants came out from said back door, carrying a stack of cardboard boxes in his arms. He stepped over to the empty shelf, set the boxes down on the floor and turned to Claire. "Are you the new farmer? The mayor was just in here about half an hour ago, and he told me that someone had moved into the old farm…." His voice trailed off as he studied her face.

For some reason, his expression became troubled and confused despite his amiable tone, as if Claire's appearance made him uncomfortable.

"Yes, that would be me."

"I'm Jeff. My wife and I run the Supermarket," he introduced as he broke eye contact and bent over one of the cardboard boxes, pulling out packets of curry powder, and arranging them on the shelf. Claire watched him curiously. The people of this town must really like curry….

"We sell food items, cooking ingredients, rucksacks and baskets. You can also have presents wrapped here. Store hours are 9am to 5pm, and we're closed on Tuesdays and Sundays. Are you looking for something in particular? Don't hesitate to ask if you need something."

Claire suddenly remembered she was going to start "work" tomorrow… and if she was going to plant anything, she was going to need some seeds.

She told him her dilemma, and he stopped working to look at her again. "Oh, yes, the Supermarket also sells crop seeds… and grass seeds, too. But let me ask you – do you have any farming experience?"

Claire grinned wryly at him. "Nope."

At this, Jeff seemed to finally relax. He even chuckled a bit. "Okay, then let me give you some advice: you're just starting out, so don't worry about money when you pick out your seeds. You're going to earn it right back – and more. You just have to choose carefully." As he said this, he gestured towards the center table loaded with different colored bags. "Summer officially starts tomorrow, so I've loaded up all the crops that grow during that season: Tomato seeds are 200G, Onion seeds are 150G and Corn seeds are 300G."

Claire nodded and proceeded to stand in front of the seed table, with her back to the front door as she pondered which bags of seeds to buy. She only had 500G on her right now, so she needed to choose wisely.

At this moment the Supermarket door suddenly burst open, causing the chimes to clang sharply. An angry voice resounded. Jeff abruptly stopped working and turned towards the door, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. Claire didn't turn around, telling herself once again that she had nothing to do with the citizens' problems, but she couldn't resist listening in anyways.

"What I do is none of your business, _doctor_!" Shouted a woman indignantly.

"Sasha!" Jeff dropped the curry powder he was holding and ran for the entrance.

"As the town doctor, I can't sit idly by and watch you harm yourself like this," a low, serious yet undeniably masculine voice reasoned out. "Please think about your husband, your friends, and the people who worry about you…."

Awareness caused Claire's nerve endings to tingle at the sound of the new voice. Unable to stop herself, she turned around to look at the voice's owner – and blinked.

In the beginning, what attracts us is not a complete person, but an attribute, a predicate, a quality, a single datum, a small gift, a minuscule promise of meaning.

All Claire could see for a moment was windswept hair, a strong neck, straight shoulders, and onyx colored eyes. Eyes she couldn't seem to tear away from. It took Claire a moment to finally see the serious, concerned look on his handsome face, the white lab coat he wore, and the stethoscope that hung uselessly from his pocket.

He was a doctor, and Heaven forbid, he was damn sexy.

The young woman had to blink some more times to interrupt her gaze. She felt her face flush and was glad that nobody seemed to notice her staring. Claire forced her attention on the other people who had burst in….

Standing a little to the left of the doctor was another male who wasn't nearly as tall as the doc himself, but he was pretty good-looking in his own right. He had strawberry-blond hair that fell all the way to his shoulders, and some stray bangs fell over his face. The bright green eyes behind the pair of glasses he wore were narrowed with concern. Underneath the green apron he wore was a light blue T-shirt and black cargo pants. From the way he stood, to Claire it looked like he was blocking the shop entrance, as if he was trying to prevent someone from escaping.

Meanwhile, Jeff was holding on to the arm of a beautiful blond haired, hazel-eyed woman, looking at her worriedly. Said woman's eyes were glittering fiercely at the tall man wearing the white lab coat. The woman must be Sasha, Jeff's wife, Claire deduced.

A few tense seconds slowly passed, and the strawberry blond adjusted his glasses nervously. "Doctor Trent, I believe we need to clear out… for the time being," he added hastily when the doctor glared at him. Jeff cleared his throat, but he didn't release his wife's arm. "Since my wife is now conscious, maybe we could hold off the medication," he suggested, clearly agreeing with glasses-guy.

"I must be allowed to work," the physician stated darkly. "Not on your life!" The woman, Sasha, declared.

The doctor's face flushed with anger. "You will draw an infection! Mark my words, you will-!"

"Thank you, Doctor," Jeff interrupted, already waving him off. "I'll call you immediately should Sasha take a turn for the worse."

The doctor threw open the entrance door. "I will be waiting," he replied as if announcing their doom before stomping out. The young man with glasses nervously followed, the chimes ringing in their wake.

After a heartbeat, Jeff slowly released his grip on his wife's arm. The couple stared at Claire with a strange expression on their faces. Claire felt uncomfortable under the sudden scrutiny, but willed herself to stay calm and composed.

To the ex-cop's surprise, the older woman smiled warmly at her and approached.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that," she apologized with a nervous laugh. "My name is Sasha, and I'm Jeff's wife. You must be the new farmer Mayor Thomas told us about." Behind her, her husband seemed to relax slightly at her gentler tone.

Claire snapped to attention at the older woman's complete 180 and remembered her manners. "My name's Claire. I hope you don't mind me saying so, ma'am, but the doctor seemed genuinely concerned for your well-being…." She trailed off. Claire didn't know why, but she liked this woman already, even though they just met.

Sasha exhaled noisily. "I know he does, but I'm not an invalid. And please, call me Sasha. All my friends do," she insisted, reaching out to grasp Claire's hands in between her own.

Claire found her gaze drawn to the bandage wrapped around Sasha's wrist.

"_As the town doctor, I can't sit idly by and watch you harm yourself like this…."_

It was none of her business, Claire told herself for the fourth time that day, forcing herself to look away from the bandage.

She was just a stranger that moved in. It was none of her business.

* * *

><p>After buying her groceries, Claire was just about to step out when Sasha called out to her.<p>

"Dear, since you've just arrived in town and all that, how would you like to come and have dinner with my husband and I?"

Claire paused mid-step, her hand already on the doorknob, ready to leave. The offer had caught her off guard. She didn't want to say yes, because Claire didn't feel like making friendly at the moment. Besides, beyond the basic etiquette (i.e. introducing herself), her social skills pretty rusty from disuse – she'd spent a whole year living virtually like a nun during her search for her brother, after all. In an attempt to stall for time, Claire glanced at her watch and joked, "Dinner? It's only 1:17 in the afternoon."

Sasha laughed as well. "Oh, of course, I meant tonight! But, won't you join us?"

In Claire's peripheral vision, she noticed Jeff staring forlornly at his wife from behind the register. At first, she thought Jeff didn't like the idea of sharing a table with a complete stranger, but then he turned his gaze in her direction. His eyes reflected a wistfulness she didn't understand.

"Come around 6:30pm, alright? It's nothing too formal – think of it as a welcome party of sorts," Sasha carried on as if Claire had accepted the invitation.

The young woman didn't want to come off as rude, since Jeff's wife seemed so proud of herself for offering, so she relented gracefully and finally pulled open the door to leave.

"Thank you! Come again!" Jeff called out after her.

Claire only half heard him – she was too busy worrying about the hole she was digging herself into.

The townspeople she met so far were too... nice. They received her too easily, and they kept offering some form of assistance. Was _everyone _around here like that? It unnerved Claire in a way nothing else had. She felt like she had stepped right into a fairytale production, a play, and was now one of the actors.

_Stop thinking about it! It's none of your business!_

Besides, it was just day one. Maybe this was how they usually welcomed newcomers. Claire was confident their blissful, happy facades would fade as the days passed. Fairly confident.

Claire was so wrapped up in her own thoughts she didn't see the strawberry-blond guy from earlier, and she bumped into him when he abruptly stepped out of the Clinic.

"Oops! I'm sorry! I - I wasn't looking where I was going..." Claire felt really bad because she prided herself for her better-than-average reflexes, acquired during her days as an officer of the law, and she usually evaded things like projectiles with ease even with her back turned. The single year she spent looking for her brother Jack had obviously taken it's toll.

"It's ok. No harm done..." He trailed off as he studied Claire. His eyes widened. He gasped.

"K-Karen...? Is that you...?"

Claire stared back, unsure what to say. It took a few seconds before she realized he was mistaking her for someone else. She had no other response other than the obvious. "Um... I'm sorry, but my name isn't Karen."

He blinked and shook his head. "Ah, sorry." He removed his glasses, rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and slipped them on again. "Sorry. It's just that, your hair... and your eyes..."

Claire subconsciously touched her hair.

He smiled apologetically. "Oh, I think I remember you now. You were the one at the Supermarket a moment ago, right? Let's start from the beginning. My name's Rick. I'm sorry you had to witness that little disagreement between Sasha and Trent - there were more pleasant ways to meet the town doctor."

"I'm Claire, and I moved into the farm at the edge of town just this morning. And don't worry about a thing."

Rick's grin stretched wider, from a mixture of relief and curiosity, and a cute dimple appeared in his left cheek. Claire had to admit to herself again that he was pretty good-looking. Not flashy, but nice. He had apparently abandoned the apron she saw him wearing earlier, and was now dressed in denims from head to foot. He had this boyish appeal that girls of all ages would appreciate.

"My sister and I help out our mother at the Poultry Farm. So, you're the new farmer, huh? You'll need a lot of work and spirit to get that place back on it's feet, so don't hesitate to swing by our place and ask for help if you need it."

"Thanks for the offer. I'll keep that in mind." Claire returned his smile before she could stop herself. "By the way, those glasses you're wearing aren't just for show, right? Are you from the city?" She'd noticed that the way he spoke wasn't the country drawl she'd heard from the other townspeople. He was articulate, and spoke with such startling clarity that it seemed he studied English, not just plain grew up speaking it.

"No, I was born right here. But my Dad sent me to school in the city, and I have a degree in mathematics."

_He's flirting with me! _Claire thought to herself. She realized she was flirting right back. _I wonder if he's married? _Claire mentally kicked herself. Rick had the looks, the sweet, friendly personality and his loving family. He was most likely taken by one of the local girls already.

The girl Rick mistook her for... "Karen" ...was probably his girlfriend or wife.

"So, now that the introductions are out of the way, I'd like to ask you to eat lunch with me at Doug's place."

Claire blushed. "Oh, I... I don't know." _If he was really in a relationship, he wouldn't be asking you to eat lunch with him in public like this, _her inner voice reasoned. She mentally kicked herself again.

"The food at Doug's Inn is great! C'mon, farmer, my treat. Besides, what chances does a man have to dine with someone as pretty as you?" As he said this, he wiggled his eyebrows at her, making her laugh.

"_Ok_, ok - lead the way," Claire eventually agreed, finding herself slipping into the easy rhythm of their banter. He offered his arm to her, and she took it automatically. As Rick led her down the road, past a few houses and a corner building whose sign said "Library", Claire looked up at her male companion and admired the way his eyes sparkled in the afternoon sun. He wasn't too handsome, and in a way that made her feel relieved - she distrusted handsome men.

Never mind the fact that she was rendered weak-kneed by the tall, hunky doctor. But, to be on the safe side, she promised herself to take good care of her health so she wouldn't _have to _cross paths with him too often.

Claire frowned. She had to stop thinking about the doctor.

More important than that, she had to stop thinking that there was something amiss in town.

* * *

><p>AN: Ok, ok - The doctor and Claire don't actually MEET here, but Claire has gotten her first good look at him, and she's weak-kneed already. :) But what's this? Rick already has the upper hand for Claire's feelings! Don't worry, though, Trent will catch up in the next chapter, and they'll have a real introduction. Hope you keep reading!


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